Children&#39;s furniture



SPL 14, 19,43' A. w. LEHMAN, JR., Erm. 2,329,475

cHILDnENfs FURNITURE Filed obt. 14p, 193s 4 sheets-sheet 1 INVENFORS ISept 14, 1943- A. w. LEHMAN, JR., E-rAL 2,329,475

CHILDREN'S FURNITURE Filed oct. 1o', 195s 4 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

A. W. LEHMAN, JR., I'AL sept. 14, 1943.

CHILDREN S FURNITURE 4 sheets-sheet s Filed Oct. 10. 1938 mmh.. 11|] llllnl .I I.l

Sept. 14, 1943. A. w. LEHMAN, JR., ETAL 2,329,475

CHILDRENS FURNITURE Filed oct. 1o, 193e 4 sheets-sheet 4 am M MJ, a Mn m .llllLDnH-.l llllllll w ,m y a m www 1 @www We `n\w... uw. 2 2 g www fmw.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 .l

v y'-crrllinmirrs FURNITURE y y. i Alberi W. Lehmann., andouuy Maier.,ifcanne1w 'ton,-lnd., assignors to The Lehman Company -vof America, Inc., Cannelton, Ind.,.a ycorpen'a- 'tiono'f Indiana' Application October is Claims y l 'The presentinven'tionrelates` to childrens lfurniture and-more particularly -to cribs, -play yards, or-the like, inconnection -with which it is desirable to protect the child -from drafts,

In illustrating a preferredfembodiment ofthe invention .a 1- childs crib will -be 4used for exemplication. y

`Small children, particularly babies, must be kept warm and comfortable and still-must have lan adequate supply of -fresh air. Babiesspend the lgreatest portion of their time in a bed or vcrib and it is of utmost importance that they be prevented from catching co'ldlthrough drafts. Various expedients havev been vadopted. "for '-preventing ldraftsstrikingfthe baby, among them f vbeing the employment of blankets surrounding the crib or-th'e setting up o f screens orthe removal of the `crib to remote-points in the room away from Windows and the like. None of these expedients is desirable or entirelyfsatisfactory. They arebothersonie, unsightly rand even in some cases unsanitary.` They are at best makeshifts 'which the mother has been compelled to'- devise 'because of the construction;v of lthev 4furniture heretofore supplied for the use-of lthe infant.'

10, issafsrliel m9234410! I showing yfthe means-'for connecting 4the lmovable side iframe tojthegenvds of-fthe'crib'j j Fig. 6 is a'View*showingiindetailthe means for releasing from la *plunger a split washerin order that the lmovable"side frames maybe connected to Ythe ends vdf the crib;

l 1"ig."7 isl a Vsectionalr 'taken Aon fthe line il- 1 of Fig. 5; Y

'Figt is a sectionalv'iew taken on the line 8 8 Fig. vaisa sectionaiview taken on miennes-a FigplOfis a'isecti'enalview tekenen the 'line y 11v is -a' detailed view showing `in dotted lines the arrangement of a `plungerand securing 'means for 'retain-ing the Ysidewalls to `the yend yWka'llsof'a crib; and 1- i12 is a sectional `View taken jon the line -|2'|2i0ijrig.r1. f C Y i i Referring-to 1` and .2A ofthe'drawings, it

will be seen that 'the inventionfas embodied in ja L crib; comprises twoends lI'I and 12, respectively,

A principal object of the present invention fis to provide 'a construction in AWhichis incorpo- :rated means to provide `adequate :ventilation and lwhichatthefsame/time is.y of simple construction', easily operated, attractive in appearance and A Ifurther object of the invention is the/pro;4

vision of an improved -m'ethod e'fmounting the `sides on cribs, play yards andthellike, vso vthat `they may be morev conveniently and readily op'erf rated. l

Other objects and advantages'of-the invention 'will be apparent-upon 'an understanding ofthe accompanying drawings and the following Ispec'- L -icaton :It is to lbe understood,fhowevery-that y.the drawingsfand description areillustrative only Vand the-invention is nottobefunnecessarily lim-'- ited or restricted thereby as the ytrue scope" of the invention is defined in-the 'appended claims.

Referringtorthe drawings: I l f Fig. 1 `shows a view in `side.e'lz'avationof a crib structure embodying the invention; i I

`I'ligl? isiaLperspective vif'zW-showingd one ofthe side walls in lowered position; f Y

Fig..3 isa fragmentary detailedvie'w of'a porf -tion of the side frame of -acrib;` f i AFig. '-1r is a detailed vieWshowingthevmouldi-ng Lremovedlfrom thesideframe; y' l I 'f l Fig a. .viewwithlalportion breken'ia'way lwhich are connectedfbysidej members I3 andll.r

The-side members `Ilifand -I4 are identical in construction with the exception' that in general practice the side member I3 is firmly' secured to Athe end walls,` whereas the side `member I4 is 'adapted to be raise'dfand lowered inthe manner and bythe mea-ns hereinafter to be described. There is also'provided the usual spring andmat- 'tress which may be rofrstandarcl construction.

Referring tothe'side wall M shown in Fig; l, it will be observed that the side lwalls comprise a frame member fl5r in Awhich is rigidly mounted a= plurality of spaced lSlat members I6.

Slidably mounted lthe 'frame I5 are'usubframes I'I and lI8 rspectivelygwhich subframes are provided with a plurality ofspaced -slat members I9. It will'be apparentr that by movement of the .subframes uI'I and I 8` the slat members I9 may be so positioned'as to Vsuperimpose the slat members IE or so as vto partially or completely cover the spaces `between-the Slat membersll. yPositioned "at the middle of jthe frame AI5 is a 'wide slat member i201 which is approximately equal' in Width to two of the slat members I9.

Consequently, 'in yorder to 'close rthe spaces lbei ltweenthev 'slat members I6 the subframes I1 and IB are'moved apa-rter ytoward their respective ends of the vcribv and in order to'open'the spaces between the Slat members I6 ,the subframes Il -and I8 'are moved toward each other.

j The side Wall -I3 is 'constructed of a similar iframe andfslat'membersand also-fof similar suby m l 2,329,475l

irames, these subframes and slat members being shown in Fig. 2 with the suiiix character a.

Since each of the subframes is independent of the other they may be so manipulated that any quarter of the crib may be shut off, fully opened or, of course, partially opened. This yarrangement permits of ventilation of the crib without a draft striking the infants body.

The means for mounting the subframes I1 and I8 on to the main side frame I5 so as to permit sliding movement of the subframes is shown in*- detail in Figs. 3, 4, 9 and 10. Referringto these figures it will be observed that the mainframe )I is provided with pins 2| whicnhave mounted at their outer ends washers 22. These pins project through slots 23 provided in the subframes. A moulding. 24, having a groove 25 therein, which is adapted toreceive the heads of the pin 2| and the washers 22, is mounted over the top and bottom portions of the subframes. For decorative purposes and ease of `operation the moulding of the head portion may bediierently shaped from that of the bottom. The top moulding, as shown in Fig. il., is so shaped as to fit thengers to permit `easy grasping ofthe same to move the subframesrelative to the main frame of the side walland also to aid in raising and lowering theA side wall I4.

Positioned between the subframe I8 and the main frame I5 are provided washers `2Ii-which prohibit any frictional engagement between the subframes and the main frame and are conducive to easier operation of the subframes on the main frame. The grooved portions j25y of the subframe moulding 24 are generally so shaped that the washer 22 tends to ride against these grooved portions and to rotate so that as the subframe is'moved the washers act as bearings andkfeels as though the subframe were-mounted on ballbearings. The movement of thehsubfrarneV relative vto the main kframe, of course, is limited by the length ofthe slot 23, this slot beingk of just sufiicientvlength to permit thesubframe being moved so as to superimposeeslats VI9 on the slats IB in one direction and in the opposite direction to permit the slats I9 toucompletely coverthe spaces between the slats I6.V i i The structure described isextremely -simple from a mechanical standpoint, is readily asfsembled in a production line and ,from the standpoint of the user is extremely easyrto manipulate. Furthermore, clue to its compactness it is pleasing in appearance and neat, the design -ofr'the lcrib being not interfered with in anywayidue to the mechanical structure involved. e l e It is to be observed thatall of the slats, both those mounted in the subframes I1 and I8fand thosemounted in the main frar'riey I5, are rigidly secured atboth ends andthere is no movement of the slats other than Aas a unit in the subframes. Thus the structure isv strong and 'there is no way in which slats can get out of alignment or for `the mechanism to bindor stick. l e

As `has heretofore been pointed out, the side member I3, shown in Fig. `2, is generally rigidly secured to the head and foot portions II and I2 ofthe crib. It is desirable, however,Y that` the side member I4 .beso mountedjthat it may be readily raised or lowered. The meanseernployed 'for permitting raising and Ylowering of` thersde walls I4 consistfof ay pair of channel members 21 mounted on the head and foot membersv II and I2respectively. These channel members, as shown in detail in Figy 8, yare provided with elongated slots 28 which slots are hook-shaped at their upper portion 30 and are provided with an enlarged opening at the base as indicated by the reference character 3l.

The slots 28 are adapted to receive the heads of plungers 32, which plungers are shown in detail in Figs. l1 and l2. Referring to the last mentioned figures it will be observed that the plungers consist of head portions 33 which are provided on their periphery with helical-shaped grooves, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. Slidably mounted in the head portion 33 is a pin 34, the

` portion 35.

the flangedportionl is a compression spring 36.

inner end of which pin is provided with a anged Between the head portion 33 and On the outer end of the pin 34 is a head 31 and between the head 31 and the head portion 33 of the plunger are a pair of washers 38 which washers are preferably constructed of nbre, Bakelite or some similar material.

The head portion 33 of the plunger is provided `with an annular-'groove 33 which has cooperating with it a lockingpin 40 as shownfin Fig. l1.

In the manufacture of the device holes 4I are drilled into the sides, at appropriate points as shown in Figs. l and ,2. These holes are preferably slightly smaller than therhead portion 33 of the plunger assembly. The plunger assembly is then forcedinto the holesk The plunger assembly will turn into the. holes like a screw since it is provided with helical projections. This arrangement assures Aa tight fit of the plunger assembly in the sidewalls. .To prohibit any movement of the plunger assembly the locking pin 40 is driven into the side walls' and is so positioned that it will be in rthe annular groove 39. The

foregoing construction provides ja stout, simple i walls of the crib.

In order to facilitate fastening the side wally I4 to the end walls the plunger assembly.v as vshown in Figs. 5, 6 and '1, is provided with a split washer 4,2 which is inserted between the washers 38. As shown in Fig. 5 the projecting portion of the plunger assemblyis then inserted in the.

the split washerA 421 and Aforce it from-between the washers 38, the washers 38 will engage theside walls of the slot 28and the split washer 22 will drop downwardly end out- The compression-spring 36'wil1 tend to draw the head 31 of thepirr 3B inwardly and to force the washers 38 to firmly engage each side of the walls yforming the lslot 28. ,All ofthe plunger assemblies arednserted in the slot y2,8 in the same manner and when the side wall I4 has thus been mounted inthe ends of the cribV the enlarged portion "3l of/the slot '2,8 is closed up by putting a lplug therein, as indicated bythe Vreference characterf42 in Fig. 8. i The plug 43may be heldby' a screw or nail 44. ItA will bezrapparent that llpon closing of the enlarged portion 3Ijby the closure member 43 the sidewalls cannot be removed from the end walls without removal of the closure member as the washers 38 areof greaterwidth than the slot 28. 'f e In the manipulation ofthe side wall, the wall is raised to the point where the top' plunger mechanism engages the hooked portion 30 .of the slot 28 and when dropped into the hooked portion it is obvious that the sideV wall. will stay in elevated position until it is raised out of the hooked portion and again lowered.

It is to be observed that the movable side wall I4 is held firmly in position relative to the end walls through the action of the 'compression springs 36 found in each of the plunger assemblies. because it is obvious that inga crib structure it would be impossible to make it so rigid that the end walls would always be perfectly aligned. Consequently, unless some yielding means are provided there would be a tendency to, and in fact the side wall would, stick during the raising and lowering operations. However, any misalignment between the head and foot is compensated for by the compression springs; thus ease of operation of the sidewall is insured at e Furthermore, due to the use of the` means tends to cause disalignment which resultsr in a device that is hard to operate.

Another feature of the construction just described is that it permits the designer to locate the plunger assemblies at practically any point in the side walls. Likewise, the members 21 may be of any desired length, Consequently, when I the side member is dropped to its lowered position the downwardly projecting end portions l5y are brought adjacent the floor so that the rubber stops 46 actually engage the floor as shown in Fig. 2. This feature is of importance because theside member of the crib is down only when it is desirable to `remove the infant therefrom This arrangement Oilers many advantageswalls comprising a frame, a plurality of spaced slats rigidly mounted in said frame, a subframe slidably mounted on said frame, a plurality of spaced slats rigidly mounted in said subframe in adjacent relation to the slats in said main frame.

\ 2. An article of childrens furniture of the class described comprising an inclosure made of verframes slidably mounted on said main frame, ak

plurality of spaced slats rigidly secured to said subframe, said frames being so arranged that movement of said subframes toward each other will leave openings in said side wall.

4. An article of ehildrens furniture of the class described comprising four side walls, one of said. v

side walls-comprising a frame, spaced members mounted on said frame, a subframe slidably mounted on said frame, said slidable mounting means comprising a pin xed to one of said A frames and passing through a horizontally elon-J or to work with the infant in the crib and since the rubber stops 46 engage the oor they prevent the crib from skidding or moving on its casters and rolling away from the mother or nurse.` Furthermore, if it is desirable to place the crib alongside an ordinary bed with the side member down there is positive assurance that the crib cannot move away from the bed and permit the child to fall between the bed and the crib.

It will be apparent that the foregoing structure has many advantages, particularly in that it is simple in construction, sturdy, easily operated and provides for adequate ventilation and protection Afrom drafts which has been heretofore pointed out as of utmost importance.

We claim: g

1. An article of childrens furniture of the class described having four side walls, one of said side gated opening in theother of said frames. n

5. An article'of childrens furniture of the class described having four side walls, one of said side Walls comprising a main frame, a plurality of slats rigidly mounted in said main frame,` subframes, means for slidably mounting saidv'subframes on said main frame, said slidably mounted kmeans comprising a pinr having a head thereon xediy secured to said Ymain frame and passing through a horizontally elongated opening in said subframe, a roller member mounted on said `pin to engage said subframe and means for covering said elongated opening.

6. An article of childrens furniture ofthe class described havingy a side wall comprising a main frame with fixed horizontally' spaced vertical slats, a pair of subframes each mounted to slide horizontally and independently in a plane laterally adjacent the main frame and having xed horizontally spaced vertical slats, each of said subframes having a horizontal guiding and limiting slot, pins xed in the main frame and extending into the slots, and anti-friction bearing members .between the-pins and subframes, whereby the subframesmay be moved horizontally to bring 

